The thirteen original essays in this book examine the status and development of the sciences in the eighteenth century. The last generation has seen a revolution in the methodology adopted by historians of science: The development of science is no longer described as a steady progress towards truth - certainties have given way to questions. The essays in this volume scrutinize these changing perspectives in historiography and recommend paths for future study. The eighteenth century has been a neglected and much-misunderstood era in the development of science, all too often viewed as something of a trough between the towering achievements of the 'Scientific Revolution' and the nineteenth century. Yet it was a period of notable developments; it saw the establishment of such fields as electricity and heat, the 'chemical revolution', the new science of gases, the isolation of oxygen, the nebular hypothesis in cosmology, the foundation of rational mechanics, and the birth pangs of biology, geology and psychology. It was, indeed, an age when knowledge was in ferment.

When in his "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot" Pope referred to "this long disease, my life," his statement was quite literally true, since Pope, in addition to being a dwarf and a hunchback, suffered from many diseases during his lifetime. With technical advice from several physicians, the authors present the first medical case history of the poet. Drawing heavily upon the Correspondence for information about Pope's symptoms, they discuss the effect ill health had on his writings and the prevalence of medical themes in his works. The authors also explore Pope's interests in astronomy (second only to his obsession with medicine), microscopy, geology, and physics and how they relate to his writings. Originally published in 1968. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

When in his "Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot" Pope referred to "this long disease, my life," his statement was quite literally true, since Pope, in addition to being a dwarf and a hunchback, suffered from many diseases during his lifetime. With technical advice from several physicians, the authors present the first medical case history of the poet. Drawing heavily upon the Correspondence for information about Pope's symptoms, they discuss the effect ill health had on his writings and the prevalence of medical themes in his works. The authors also explore Pope's interests in astronomy (second only to his obsession with medicine), microscopy, geology, and physics and how they relate to his writings. Originally published in 1968. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.